This invention relates to a self-contained room air conditioner unit of the type which has a built in timer for turning the unit on and off at preset times. When the timer is in the off position, it actuates an auxiliary electrical plug, which a standard electric fan may be plugged into.
The operation of room air conditioners by a built in electric clock timer, which is adapted to turn the unit "on" and "off" at preset times is well known. One such arrangement is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,723 to Weibel, Jr. et al. While the '723 patent illustrates a mechanical timer for achieving the on/off cycling, U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,346, "Apparatus and Method for Controlling a Room Air Conditioner" to Ramakrishnan et al. describes a room air conditioner having an electronic control, which provides the same on/off cycling capability. Prior art room air conditioners are also well known to have a "fan only" operating mode in which the compressor of the air conditioning unit is not energized and the unit serves as an air circulator. In such mode, the air conditioner fan motor, which typically runs both the evaporator and condenser fans is actuated and causes air to flow through both the indoor, air conditioning, path, and the outdoor path through the condenser heat exchanger.
Such fan only operation, accordingly, is capable of providing limited air circulation at a relatively high level of power consumption, as the motor is sized to run both the indoor and the outdoor fans. It is, accordingly, deemed desirable to have the capability to actuate a conventional electric circulating and cooling fan when a room air conditioner is not being operated in the cooling mode with both the compressor and fan motors actuated.